Читать книгу Our Collective Life - JD Kennedy - Страница 19

“How have things been for you?” David was asking.

She never knew how to answer that question. How could somebody who controlled their own life, who was in charge of everything they did understand what it was like for them? It was commonplace that one of them would find themselves out here, and another had been in the middle of a task. It could be very unnerving for some, and different members coped with it in different ways and managed to varying degrees.

Last week, for example, Toni found herself in the house, and she could see someone was watching a movie on Netflix and was having a cappuccino. But on the coffee table was a cup half full of tea that had long since gone cold, next to some knitting that had been obviously interrupted mid row. And on the side table next to the chair was an empty bag that once contained pretzels (which would have not been from the same person who had the cup of tea, or was watching Netflix), an empty glass that seemed to have contained soft drink and the iPad was out with a horse game still paused.

How could she explain how that felt?

Once Toni arrived back home, she went out into the lounge and found plates and glasses on the coffee table as well as an empty packet of Fruit and Nut chocolate. Teens, she sighed. Linda would not be happy to know they had been eating chocolate yet again.

Toni had to prioritise her time out here, as she never really knew how long she would have. First things first, she had to check the bank account and ensure there was money in the account and that the bills were up to date. She was the one that was responsible for those things, and obviously things like paying bills was not something that could be put off. As much as possible she had things set up on automatic payments, but the money still had to be kept in the account to cover everything.

Satisfied that everything was in order (except for a purchase on eBay for jewellery – she would have to keep an eye on that in future) she collected up all the plates, glasses and cutlery from the lounge room and, filling the sink with soapy water, started to do the dishes.

She was aware of the voices from within, but they didn’t bother her. Not carrying a lot of emotions meant she was able to just perform the tasks that were required, without being weighed down by feelings. So she heard the conversations, the voices from within, and she was able to just keep going.

The crying from within, that wasn’t quite as easy to ignore and at times, it could become distracting. But Toni carried on regardless, washing the dishes and setting them to drain on the rack, focused on the task at hand.